The present invention concerns an attachment device for harvesting stalky stem material, in particular corn, comprising stem dividers, cutting devices for cutting off the stalky stem material, conveying devices for conveying the cut stalky stem material, a plurality of picking units distributed across the working width of the attachment device for separating fruit from the stalks, each having at least one picking roller and a picking gap correlated with the picking roller, one milling device for the stalks correlated with each one of the picking units, and a device for collecting and combining the cut-off fruit.
An attachment device of the aforementioned kind in the form of a corn harvester is disclosed in WO 95/17807. With the attachment device disclosed therein, it is possible to harvest stalky stem material sown in rows in that the harvester to which the attachment device is connected is moved precisely along the rows across the field. Only when accepting an increased loss of crop is it possible to harvest the stalky stem material with the known attachment device when less precisely aligned along the rows, or even independent of the rows.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an attachment device with which the losses of stalky stem material are reduced when the attachment device is not guided precisely along the rows of plants.